Action by a coalition of organisations, including RETRA the electrical retailers association, has led to an appeal court defeat for the company that licences playing music in shops.
This defeat marks a landmark victory for retailers, and will lead to collective savings of £5 million a year, and paybacks of £20 million of excessive charges paid by retailers over the last five years.
Some CAI members had been harassed by Phonographic Performance Ltd. (PPL) over TV displays in areas of their premises. PPL lost its appeal against a ruling made by the Copyright Council last October. The original case found that licence fee increases imposed by the PPL were excessive. The result of this appeal affects all those retailers who play recorded material in their stores.
